Napkin

Hi everyone,

My independent search for truth has led me away from Baha'i faith. Can you please tell me the steps involved in officially resigning?

The only info I found on the topic was on "WikiHow" where it mentions writing to NSA. Is that correct? Do I simply type up a letter in my own words stating my wish to resign or is there a form to fill out?

Thank you in advance.

LordOfGoblins

You just tell the LSA I think.
I hope it wasnt anything "I" said...
/:

tonyfish58

If you have an LSA write to them, if you have no LSA write to the NSA.

You may be asked as to why, this should be an expected response. This will be for good intentions. You can give a reason or not as you choose.

Best of luck in your journey and I hope one day you will pass this way again.

Regards Tony

rushdy

Best of luck with your journey. And may you be a cause of happiness and prosperity to mankind in whatever path you choose.

Just a word of advice, never judge the truth by its cover! If you feel that you are not liking the faith because of its followers, then i assure you that what you are looking for is a social club, not a spiritual truth. If you didn't find your spiritual truth in the Baha'i faith then i honestly wish you the best of luck in your spiritual journey ..

As for your Q, then you should write to your LSA or NSA. The Baha'i faith is not a membership club, the only reason for these administrative procedures is directly related to the voting scheme.

Napkin

thanks guys. does NSA have and email address?

arthra

Napkin,


Sorry to hear you want to "resign"... but good luck on your search for truth!

What country are you in?

Traditionally you'd write a letter and sign it..and send it

and/or

see that it goes through your Local Spiritual Assembly.

Here's a list you may find helpful:

Bahai-Directory.org

MichaelAW

So that you can be officially removed from the member list, simply write a letter of your intent, signed. If you have a member card return that too, give letter and card to LSA or mail to the NSA. It would make it more official if it were noterized but that isn't required.

In the USA, the NSA address is,

Baha'i National Center 1233 Central Street Evanston, IL 60201

Napkin

Thanks AW

Napkin

I did not resign because of anything you guys said, I promise.
I believe I misunderstood the entire concept from the beginning. So I like to blame myself for my resignation.

I was attracted to this faith for only one reason: it encouraged independent search for truth. But I think I misinterpreted it I thought the Bahai faith was one of logic and search, coherence and science. Then I came to the conclusion that its more about psychology, just like all other religions. On one hand, I was encouraged to seek for truth independently, on the other hand I was obligated to pray to God, and the prayers were all about praising God; God is great, God is omnipotent, God is powerful..... Repeated again and again and again, day after day....till you believe it. If I wanted that type of conviction, I'd just stay in church.

Nuck81

That is interesting that you considered obligatory prayer and the recitation of Allah-U-Abah to be indoctrination.

I always considered it affirmation.

Best of Luck, it's sometimes a crazy and convoluted journey we can take to gain the peace we desire.

LordOfGoblins

You are right. THe writings are filled with God is this God is that. I think part of the reason is because of the time we live in. Baha'u'llahs holy writings are written for the time of this day when a lot of people have turned their backs on God and failed to recognise many of the fundamentals like how he is the possessor of all these attributes.
I dont think the holy writings in the future will be as focussed on just a small number of themes as Baha'u'llahs seem to be.
Anyway just thought Id share that insight that I believe personally. Not trying to "keep you around" so to speak with my comment but I do like tackling all the tough questions so I hope it's ok..

MichaelAW

To clarify, I am a member of the Bahai Faith, it is said there are people who are mentally advanced as far as the, shall I say, practice of religion, it was i believe written that it is OK to personally alter, in your personal life, how you worship, in the old old days, part of practicing religion was human then animal sacrifice. There are ways laid out on how to worship in these times but it's alright for you to do or don't do as you see fit, and with out interference from others. There is a lot of information given by Bahaullah and all of it is good stuff, think of some of it as a tool box where you can take out what you need at any individual time to help you, don't use what isn't needed at the time. No other member of the faith should ever make you feel you are doing it wrong, if they do, they are wrong, but you will find that any where you go and in my opinion more so with people practicing older dispensations.

BruceDLimber

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napkin I was obligated to pray to God, and the prayers were all about praising God; God is great, God is omnipotent, God is powerful..... Repeated again and again and again, day after day.

And what you overlook is that you can easily fulfill the daily prayer and recitation requirments in rather less than 90 seconds per day should you choose to do so!

Hardly a major difficulty for most people, I suggest. . . .

Not to mention which, the responsibility for whether you to these or not is strictly YOUR business, no one else's! You're hardly being monitored by anyone to assure enforcement.

Bruce

Rani

Great point Bruce!!

If a person so chooses, this below is the only prayer that would need to be said to fulfill one's spiritual obligation according to the Faith. There is no compulsion to say any others at all! It is up to the discretion and desire of the person if they wish to read or recite any others.

'I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.'

(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 3)

Rani

But regardless, I wish you the best in your walk with God and your search for truth, and wish you peace of mind about what you believe Napkin. : )

I for one, have never totally understood the relationship between science and religion and how there must be harmony there. I mean, how can science prove the existence of God? It can't! And yet, the Faith says that whatever is not explainable by science is superstition, right?
This doesn't cause me any lack of Faith, but if someone can explain it logically for me I'd be grateful; and I'm just saying that to rely on science alone would leave no need or room for a spirit of devotion or faith in God, which at least for me would be quite empty. :~ .
Again -that's just for me.!

Iconodule

By saying "I'm not a bahai and i reject the ideas of Bahai." seems simple.

tonyfish58

I think one day Science will be able to connect to God, its not a Can't situation, just a we are not smart enough yet situation. We use very little of our Brain. One day we will know how to use it all.

Regards Tony

MichaelAW

Rani,
Science is accepted highly in the Bahai Faith not really as a future means to prove 'God' but more so to correct past wrongs which occurred in past eras. Such as Galileo being placed in prison for agreeing with Capernicus that the earth circled the sun and not the opposite. Many times religious leaders abused their status by condemning valid scientific work and the scientist who formulated the theories. Darwin is another who comes to mind.
Warm Regards,michael

Iconodule

Actually that's kind of a myth as I am learning, it was more for politcal reasons as one than one of religious. I plan on reading this book once I'm done with NT Wright's the ressurection of the son of God.

arthra

Napkin wrote:

On one hand, I was encouraged to seek for truth independently, on the other hand I was obligated to pray to God, and the prayers were all about praising God; God is great, God is omnipotent, God is powerful..... Repeated again and again and again, day after day....till you believe it. If I wanted that type of conviction, I'd just stay in church.

My comment:

Becoming a Baha'i though is more about recognizing Baha'u'llah as a Manifestation of God... that's really primary and basic..after that is following His teachings..

Recall the opening passages of the Kitab-i-Aqdas:

"The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed.

"It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world.

These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration."

Napkin wrote:

"I was obligated to pray to God, and the prayers were all about praising God; God is great, God is omnipotent, God is powerful..... Repeated again and again and again, day after day..."

My reply:

I'm sure you have heard this but I also think this is relevant:

QUESTION: Concerning the sacred verse: "Recite ye the
verses of God every morn and eventide." 127

ANSWER: The intention is all that hath been sent
down from the Heaven of Divine Utterance. The
prime requisite is the eagerness and love of
sanctified souls to read the Word of God. To read
one verse, or even one word, in a spirit of joy and
radiance, is preferable to the perusal of many
Books.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 126

Be not deluded by meaningless repetition of prayers, but worship by day and by night. Should any one read but one Verse of the Verses with fragrance and spirituality, it shall avail more unto him than to read with slothfulness all the Books of God, the Protector, the Self-existent.

(Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 156)

"One hour's reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious worship"

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 237)

Napkin

Thank you all for all your comments.
My other problems with the faith (I do not mean to say this faith has problems. These are MY problems with the faith): I am not comfortable belonging to an Iranian religious organization. The people who brought me into the faith tried to obscure that fact. I have attended feast in four countries and five American states, and I can say, from my experience, 90% are from the middle east and they talk a whole lot about diversity, a world religion? Maybe one day. but not now, and not from what I have seen. I do not care where people are from, but what happened to truthfulness? from what what presented to me in the beginning, I would have never guesses that most gatherings I would attend, would include mostly one group of people from one country.

arthra

Napkin,

I don't think most of the people in California which has a pretty large Baha'i population as Baha'i communities go were Iranian and I've been a Baha'i since the mid sixties..

In the seventies I attended conferences around and most were not Iranian... Saint Louis Conference most were not Iranians.. My wife attended the World Congress and most were not Iranians.. The vast majority of our pilgriamge group were not Iranian. There was a separate group for Iranians.


I also feel it is truly a misnomer to characterize the Baha'i Faith as an "Iranian religious organization".. when the Faith itself is banned there and has been for the past thirty years or so.

I would like to add that as Baha'is we're happy to have people in our communities that speak Farsi and can chant some of the prayers in the language they were revealed in...People who have been to Shiraz or Teheran or Baghdad and can relate to our history are most welcome.

Also you might check out who were the Hands of the Cause and what their ethnic background was.. I met Mr. Furutan and know some of his extended family but many of the Hands I met were non_Iranian...Mr. Sears, Colis Featherstone. Enoch Olinga, Ruhiyyih Khanum

Hands of the Cause of God - Bahaikipedia, an encyclopedia about the Bahá

Consider who is on the Universal House of Justice..

Universal House of Justice - Bahaikipedia, an encyclopedia about the Bahá

So to characterize this Faith as an "Iranian religious organization" is pretty much inaccurate in my book.

Also our local Baha'i communities where I live are more diverse in composition than most groups.. Where could you find for instance Amharic, Spanish, English, German, Farsi spoken except in my area among the Baha'is?

tonyfish58

Arthra has cover in His post most of your views.

I would also like to add that I agree with Arthra. I have been a Baha'i since 1984 and most people in Australia at that time were not from the Country of the Faiths Birth. Over the years a lot have been successful to get out of the country that were persecuting them and settle in other countries.

I for one welcome them

I do not believe any one was trying to be untruthful, as posted above sometimes it is not wise to tell it all as each has to find out for themselves

You have your hurdles to jump on your journey, I wish you well and hope you can keep an open mind

Regards Tony

InvestigateTruth

My personal experience with this is that, in certain cities, specially the large and famous cities, which attracts all Iranians, such as Toronto, you would see some majority of Iranian Baha'is, in certain parts of the city. I think many Iranians like living in crowded cities. That's perhaps because, when they immigrate, they find it easier to adapt and live in cities that has Iranians.
But with smaller cities and towns, that becomes more non-Iranians. and In some cases almost all non-Iranians Baha'is.
However when I look at the national spiritual assemblies (the ones that I have seen) the majority are non-Iranian in various countries. Even the current counselors, I think are mostly non-Iranians.
So, it could be just Napkins personal experience.

cire perdue

I know Persians who have specifically stated that they were not here to impart Persian ways as a Baha'i lifestyle. It is fun at times to see Persian cultural practices that may well have been practiced in the days of Baha'u'llah.

MichaelAW

Hinduism, Zoroastor, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha'is, are all 'Eastern' religions. All from the same region of the planet. Arabia, Persia and India. One point about the Bahai teachings are that we are all one, as a group, regardless of personal 'culture' and that even our conceived notions about there being 'different' religions is incorrect. That there is one Creator and we all need to come together as one in order to reduce wars, greed and corruption while in this world and that after death we all grow closer, so in order to prepare for that we need to individually grow in love, acceptance, compassion, understanding, selflessness.
Michaelaw

Napkin

I live in a small town and I know a few hundred Bahai's in nearby small towns and they are all Iranians. I'd say at least 90%.

Napkin

Yes, I know a few people with similar views. But lets not sequester the majority who do not have those views.

Napkin

I understand what you are saying, but when I was a seeker, they staged an unrealistic depiction of the faith. The first few meetings they invited me to, did not represent the normal community. Only after I joined and started going to feast, did I realize they had not been honest with me.

LordOfGoblins

THe Bahai faith is still in its relative infancy.
I am not sure how the faith was 'portrayed' that was misleading for you but I am pretty certain that the intention of the faith is to bring people into it from all creeds and cultures and backgrounds. Even though at this stage the majority might be iranians in many communities around the world, that is not a representation of how the faith is growing. So the claim that we are a world religion perhaps is because it is a very widespread religion even though the demographic might still be largly iranian. Anyway the point is that once the faith begins to grow more over the next few hundred years it will be less iranian as a percentage and it will become a more diverse population.

arthra

India has more Baha'is than anywhere so it is already more "Indian"



and if the Faith is recognized in China it will likely be more Chinese too!

Napkin

I guess I failed to mention that I am talking about the Bahai faith in America. In America most Bahai's are Iranians, (Although i have been to two other countries and it was the same there) which is guaranteed to drive off most Americans (Yes I know there are a few in every community). My point is they should be honest about it. Seekers should not have to discover this fact AFTER they signed up, and feel manipulated. All I'm saying is if truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues, then lets quit being deceitful.

MichaelAW

I seriously don't see how you can make a statement like that and not see that you are speaking like at least like a bigot.

jupitermadcat

What's wrong with Iranians anyway?

tonyfish58

Mankind is Mankind - We are the flowers of one Garden



The Earth is but One Country



"Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind. …” Bahá'í Reference Library - Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Pages 38-40

Regards Tony

Eric

Perhaps you are in, what is known as, a 'Persian Colony'.

1949. Neither Persian Nor American should Congregate in a Few Chosen Places

"The Guardian feels that the Persians should not congregate in a few chosen places, but rather that they should ... spread out in the various cities of these countries where there are no Bahá'ís. If this is done, it will greatly facilitate the teaching work in those countries, and at the same time will overcome the problem of establishing Persian colonies ...

"One of the problems ... is that so many of the Persian pioneers congregate in certain cities, and this creates actually a Persian colony, and little or nothing seems to be done about teaching the natives. If the Persian pioneers dispersed to various cities, then of course they would automatically begin to teach the natives, because they would not be burdened with the necessity of Assembly functioning and association with other Persian Bahá'ís. 577

"The same situation exists with regard to American pioneers in these countries. They all want to congregate in one place, and thus little or nothing is done for the country itself."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to a National Spiritual Assembly, February 5, 1956)

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 576)

The Faith is indeed, as has been mentioned before, in a stage of infancy. There is still a lot to learn and I feel the situation you are in, if I may be so free to formulate it this way, provides an excellent learning opportunity!

Apparently you have been given, accidentaly or on purpose, a wrong impression of the community composition in your area. What could have been a better way to introduce you to the community?

cire perdue

Fabulous post.
I think one should think about how hard it is to be monolingual in a country full of gregarious self-centered individuals who think their way of life cannot be topped anywhere else on the planet. I have been with Americans who took ketchup and tabasco to Italy. Gimme a break here, why leave if you take it with you. Iranian Baha'is in some cases have literally fled for their lives.

I think it is the esssence of this Faith for the individual that the answers to our problems are in each individual. If I can't change the problem, maybe I can change my attitude. I always believe that when I am unhappy that I am the cause of it. It is NOT easy, but it works when I work to get tools to work on me. I cannot do that by myself. I have to go outside of my comfort zone. The Faith has been my standard since 1973. That has helped me find the tools I have not had to grow faith and become a person who was capable of happiness in adversity and sorrowful events. I am not a Pollyana, but I am working hard to become her, LOL. To go from cynic by choice to a "Pollyana" is hard work, but in her bright outlook, she was happy and changed others lives just by that outlook.

BruceDLimber

I strongly disagree!

I don't know where you live, but IME most Baha'is are NOT Iranian unless you're in unusual areas like Los Angeles, and even there I'm not sure Iranians are the majority.

Your statement is DEFINITELY not the case in most Baha'i communities, especially when you consider areas outside the largest cities (such as their suburbs).

And as others have already pointed out, why should this really matter, anyway? We're endeavoring to ELIMINATE prejudice!

Peace,

Bruce

Eric

I see the plight of the Iranian friends causes both our hearts to lament. We can, if you like, talk about the heroïsm which distinguishes them at the homefront, as fugitives and as pioneers.

My reply was intended to analyse the situation of Napkin, not to deny any of the suffering of our brothers and sisters. The situation you so correctly described is a very difficult environment, imagine how much has to be learned to deal with everything.

cire perdue

Gramps here goes sideways with almost anything. I like to talk, uh, write. You did well.